離開
進入《中英對照讀新聞》The Joint Polar Satellite System Is The Future Of Weather Forecasts 「聯合極軌衛星系統」是天氣預報的明日之星
「聯合極軌衛星系統」首枚衛星2017年11月18日發射升空。（法新社檔案照）
◎劉宜庭
The Joint Polar Satellite System, now known as NOAA-20, the first of four new polar-orbiting satellites reached its destination above the Earth on November 18th, 2017.
「聯合極軌衛星系統」的4枚新型繞極衛星，第1枚已在2017年11月18日抵達位於地球上空的目的地，該枚衛星現在被稱為「NOAA-20」。
NOAA-20 will circle the globe 14 times a day and complete two total views of the Earth every 24 hours. Using some the most advanced technology that NOAA has ever flown these satellites will increase our ability to observe and predict weather all over the globe including climate change, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, and search and rescue operations.
NOAA-20每天將繞行地球14圈，每24小時完成2幅全球影像。使用一些美國「國家海洋暨大氣總署」此前應用於衛星的最先進科技，這些衛星將可提升我們觀測與預報全球天氣的能力，包括氣候變遷、火山爆發、森林大火和搜救行動等。
Similar satellites have been in use for a long time and are responsible for our ability to predict the weather. Without them, the idea of a seven-day forecast just would not be accurate at all. Some around 85% of the global forecast input comes from polar-orbiting satellites.
類似的衛星已使用許久，負責天氣預報。沒有它們，每週天氣預報根本不可能準確。全球預報有約85％的資訊來自這些繞極衛星。
Sadly the current satellites are at the end of their predicted lifespan.
不過，現有衛星已屆臨它們的預期壽命。
新聞辭典
polar-orbiting satellite：名詞，繞極衛星、繞極軌道衛星。例句：Polar orbiting satellites are much closer to the Earth’s surface than geostationary satellites, and can therefore give higher resolution images of smaller areas.（繞極軌道衛星比地球同步衛星更接近地球表面，因此可提供較小範圍的高解析度影像。）
forecast：動詞，預測；名詞，預報。例句：The Global Forecast System（GFS）is a weather forecast model produced by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction（NCEP）.（「全球預報系統」是美國「國家環境預報中心」製作的天氣預測模式。）
lifespan：名詞，壽命。例句：The average lifespan of a cat is about 15 years.（貓的平均壽命約15年）
